Corellian Day of Celebration
by OtterAndTerrier
Summary: [COMPLETE] The way Leia feels about a certain date shifts over time.


**A/N:** I wrote this for Valentine's Day (aka OTPs' Day) to post on Tumblr... it's another Han/Leia fanfiction! I have no regrets (should I?) It was just the silly, overdone idea of writing a couple of vignettes around the same theme, but since this is only my second SW fic, I'm not repeating myself (in this fandom).

Thank you for reading, reviews are most welcome!

-D

* * *

 **Corellian Day of Celebration**

She was coming out of the mess hall after a hasty, rather lonely meal, and he was coming in. Months and missions had gone by and, despite his constant complaints and assurances that he wanted nothing else to do with the Rebellion and was ready to "get the hell outta there", Han Solo still hung around. There was always one reason or the other, and he didn't communicate all of them, but his declared intention to leave never wavered. Leia was sure everyone would be sorry to see him go, if it ever came to that.

'Happy Love Day, princess!' he said when they met on the doorway, bowing his head mockingly.

'Love Day?' Leia frowned, trying to read his grinning face.

'Yep. Corellian day of celebration, you know,' he explained, bringing one hand to his hip and gesticulating with the other. 'Most people think it's just for couples, but it's meant to celebrate all kinds of love. Family, friends…'

'Oh well,' Leia said, relaxing and allowing herself a smile, 'in that case—'

'… potential lovers,' Han continued, smirking and waggling his eyebrows at her.

She huffed. _Of course._

'Good day to you, Captain,' she snapped, stalking off.

She wasn't so sure if _she_ would be sorry to see him go.

* * *

Any measure she could have taken to avoid waking him up would have been futile, given that she'd been half lying on top of him and that her chrono had beeped insistently until she'd turned it off.

Han lifted the arm that had been wrapped loosely around her waist to rub a hand over his face, then dropped it over his eyes.

'I'll take your shift if you want,' he said, his voice still husky.

'No, it's fine. Go back to sleep.'

Leia hesitated for a second before pressing her lips quickly on his. She reached down for a shirt and slipped it on before getting out of the bed. When she turned round, she saw one hazel eye peeking at her.

'What?' Leia asked, crossing her arms over her chest in a self-conscious gesture.

'Nothing.' The eye closed again. 'Happy Love Day, Leia.'

She straightened with a jolt. He had told her about that date two years ago, some Corellian celebration she'd suspected he'd made up, but it had soon become lost under more pressing thoughts in her mind. That time, he'd just been trying to wind her up. Now…

Leia studied his face in silence. Han's eyes were still covered, but he was wearing a vague lopsided smile. If she didn't know him better, she could have sworn there was something like sadness about it.

Maybe he was winding her up now, too. Their journey to Bespin was coming to an end and, even though he kept avoiding the subject, she knew _they_ were coming to an end, too. They both knew what they were doing. Didn't they?

In spite of that, and whatever his intentions were, the words still made her uneasy.

'I—um—likewise,' she mumbled, and hurried out of the cabin.

She avoided him for the rest of the day.

* * *

The ramp was lowered and she was running before it touched the platform, protocol and propriety be damned. The Battle of Endor hadn't been the end, but the beginning of a long and tortuous process that kept Han and her busy—and apart, for most of the time. The only thing that made it easier for her to see him go was knowing that, no matter how many dangers still lurked in the galaxy, he would always try to come back.

He met her halfway and stooped down in time for her to throw her arms around his neck.

'Missed me, Your Worship?' he said in her ear. Despite the lightness of his tone, the way he was holding her told her that he had, too.

'What makes you think that, flyboy?'

'Well, do you greet all the Generals like this?'

'Only the nice ones,' Leia told him seriously, watching the corners of his eyes wrinkle up as he laughed, and then Han kissed her. She had to make an effort to pull apart, but they were getting away with too much already. They'd have time later.

'Happy Love Day,' Leia said, taking his hand and starting to walk. Han turned to her, frowning in confusion.

'Oh—right! Hey, you remembered!' He squeezed her hand. 'That was yesterday, though.'

'But you're here _now_ ,' she replied.

He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, grinning openly, happily at her. Just like the New Republic they were fighting for, they were a work in progress, too, and sometimes it amazed her to think what a long way they'd come.

'Happy Love Day, sweetheart.'


End file.
